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Life in SE23 - Eateries
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nottinghillbilly


Posts: 650
Joined: Dec 2010
Post: #61
02-01-2016 12:37 PM

Anyone been to Bona Pizza?

Just asking. I see its open but I haven't had a chance to pop in yet.

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Red67


Posts: 141
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #62
02-01-2016 02:00 PM

@BOnA_Sourdough

Not been yet myself, but it's looking good....

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Chipcity


Posts: 42
Joined: Nov 2012
Post: #63
02-01-2016 09:19 PM

We had a couple of takeaway pizzas today (you have to go in to order at the moment - although it only took a few minutes) and they were excellent (perhaps the best that I have had in the UK) and surprisingly reasonably priced. They are perhaps limiting themselves by not doing pasta etc but I suspect that given their size that this will not stop them being extremely busy. We will definitely be back for more.

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SEN


Posts: 59
Joined: Oct 2010
Post: #64
03-01-2016 10:02 PM

Having tried out the new sourdough pizza place on Dartmouth Road today, I wondered what others think of our expanding choice of local diners.

BOnA is definitely a great addition - good service, pizza seemed very authentic, and generous portions. Not an enormous range but will certainly go back again.

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rshdunlop


Posts: 1,111
Joined: Jun 2008
Post: #65
03-01-2016 10:26 PM

We went to The Perry Vale today for Sunday lunch and it was exceptionally good. Still licking my chops thinking about it.

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oryx


Posts: 205
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #66
04-01-2016 12:07 AM

We paid our third visit to The Perry Vale last night - the first time on a Saturday.

Overall I'm impressed with it - the food is exceptional - but they could do to have more choice for people who don't eat meat. (I do, my partner doesn't and is quite reluctant to go back there). Last night both fish dishes had meat in them, and one of them was off! (In the unavailable, not the rancid, sense).

The service last night was also a bit ineffective (had to keep reminding them to bring drinks and they seemed a bit short-staffed) but the other two times we've been it's been fine.

The cooking is great and the ambience smart yet cosy, and overall I'd really recommend it.

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topofthehill


Posts: 25
Joined: Jan 2012
Post: #67
04-01-2016 03:06 PM

Some of the staff at the Perry Vale had booked their holidays over the Christmas/New Year period which could account for any service problems.

However we were there on New Years Eve, food and service both excellent

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hoarsewhisperer


Posts: 9
Joined: Nov 2015
Post: #68
11-01-2016 08:06 AM

We went to Bona on Friday night. After a very small wait for a table, we had a couple of lovely pizzas (which appeared after only a few minutes), nice Italian beer/orange juice and it was all very reasonable.

We will be back!

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simonk


Posts: 24
Joined: Sep 2013
Post: #69
15-02-2016 01:20 PM

Finally made it to Bona yesterday. It's very good indeed, and very good value. It's basically targeting exactly the same ground as Franco Manca but perhaps with a bit less of a sense of being ushered in and out as quickly as possible. Quite busy at 3pm on Sunday too which bodes well. Hopefully more eateries of a similar style will see that this type of offer can succeed in FH.

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J.D


Posts: 3
Joined: Aug 2015
Post: #70
15-02-2016 03:56 PM

We also went to Bona for the first time two week ago. Nice little pizzeria, great atmosphere and very good pizza. The owners are a local couple, very friendly; we got to chat to them as my partner, being italian and very fussy when eating in italian restaurants in London, asked them why they did not have antipasti to share, desserts and or even coffees on the menu. Appartently, they had planned to do a soft opening for the first month or so of their operation with a limited menu but they have been very happy with the growing number of customers and may offer more options soon. i just wished they had a few more classic pizzas, such as capricciosa, quattro stagioni, diavola, etc..as the new "fashionable/hipsters pizzas" toppings can be bland and a bit boring after a while. We had almost given up on eating out in Forest Hill recently as we don't find any local reastaurants worth their "central london" prices but Bonas is different, a truly great addition.

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Pippi


Posts: 105
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #71
25-02-2016 11:20 AM

Not strictly SE23 but apparently designated as being 'in Honor Oak'....has anyone been to the newly open Watson's General Telegraph on Forest Hill Road (formerly The Rose)? We bumbled in there on Sunday on our way back from lunch at The Clockhouse (which was delicious btw, although I was disappointed by how accurate the terrible reviews on the interwebs about the service are, ie; it's truly awful, just beyond shambolic.)
Anyhoos, I was mightily impressed....so buzzing, really great atmosphere, sharp service, and what they've done with the garden is just magical - it'll be a real treat on a baking summer's day. Yay for another new (semi-) local Thumbsup

This post was last modified: 25-02-2016 11:21 AM by Pippi.

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Pippi


Posts: 105
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #72
18-03-2016 09:27 AM

Finally went to Bona pizzeria last week - amazing! Seriously one of the most delicious pizzas I've ever eaten, and a lovely warm and friendly family vibe from the guys running it.
Has anyone been to the newly open Watson's General Telegraph yet? (Formerly the Rose, or the Forest Hill Tavern before that.) Brilliant pub: great bar staff, superb drinks selection, excellent food, and a truly magical garden space. Highly recommended!

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Pippi


Posts: 105
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #73
18-03-2016 09:29 AM

Oops, forgot I'd already bigged up the WGT here Rofl

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Shiro


Posts: 33
Joined: Jan 2015
Post: #74
06-05-2016 10:14 AM

Saw last night that Hattush has finally opened and was heaving by the looks of things. Also a few people having breakfast there this morning. I'm booked in tomorrow night but have any of you been yet?

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Pippi


Posts: 105
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #75
09-05-2016 08:30 AM

Yes! We went on Friday evening and it was very enjoyable. Service was a bit all over the place (albeit friendly and sweet), but I think that's maybe to be expected in the teething stages. The food was good, fresh and tasty, and great value for money. The lay out is really nice, comfy seats/tables etc. We'll definitely be going regularly. What was really lovely was how buzzy the parade was on Friday night, with lots of people sitting outside MammaDough, Hopscotch, Hattush, Donde, all having a good time Thumbsup

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Londondrz


Posts: 1,538
Joined: Apr 2006
Post: #76
09-05-2016 09:42 AM

Went to Bona, really liked it. Amongst the best pizza I have ever had. Limited choice but enough for the type of person that orders a latte in Starbucks and doesn't need a soy, decaf, mocha twist with a frappe light etc etc.Laugh

This post was last modified: 09-05-2016 09:43 AM by Londondrz.

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Growlybear


Posts: 13
Joined: Jan 2008
Post: #77
09-05-2016 01:16 PM

I had the misfortune of going to Hattush on Friday. It really couldn't have been any worse. The staff were probably the most inept I have ever come across, and clearly were way out of their depth. We had to wait ages for our table, which had been booked, and when we arrived, were ignored completely for several minutes by four of the staff, who walked past us repeatedly. We were finally stuck on a little table, with stools, and spent much of the evening looking longingly at the people who were lucky enough to have been given chairs with backs! Most of the people sitting near to us had clearly been waiting for a very, very long time for their food, and several people said that they were still hungry when they had finished eating. After waiting for well over an hour, my main course turned up - unfortunately it didn't come with cutlery. My stew was lukewarm, and the portion size was insultingly small. It tasted overwhelmingly of salt and pepper, with no other flavours at all. The bread which finally arrived after over an hour of asking repeatedly was cold, hard, and completely stale. Normally I would have sent something this bad back but after waiting such a long time, I couldn't face waiting for another hour. My friend's steak was OK and was a good size, but the chips which came with it were grey and cold, and had clearly been cooked hours earlier. The salad was also awful. The best thing I ate that night was the pasty I bought from Sainsbury's to stave off my hunger pains.

We were sitting near to the till, and could hear customers complaining all night about the long wait for their food and bill, huge inaccuracies on their bills, and the portion sizes. For the size of the restaurant, the number of waiting staff should have been perfectly adequate, but they really hadn't got a clue. I did feel a bit sorry for the manageress who was clearly stressed, but she really should have postponed the opening until she had got efficient waiting staff, and more importantly, someone who can cook! In fairness to her, the manageress did not charge us for the meal, but then we wouldn't have paid for the majority of it in any event. The prices of their steaks were reasonable, but for the quantity and quality of my main course and the size of many of the other main courses I saw on adjacent tables, it is vastly over priced. I can't imagine anything that will ever persuade me to go there again, especially when Mama Dough is just a couple of doors away.

This post was last modified: 09-05-2016 01:20 PM by Growlybear.

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lacb


Posts: 627
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #78
09-05-2016 03:15 PM

It amazes me that anyone would go to a new restaurant and be so hyper-critical. Yes, the staff need to learn the ropes - they are young. IMO, you take a risk by going to a new restaurant, and even though you were not charged, feel the need to criticise them publicly for posterity. I do not think that this is fair nor is it reasonable to think that it is representative of all future visits. I think that Hattush shows promise, I hope they do well. I also agree with Pippi - there was a palpable buzz on the parade on Friday night.

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Londondrz


Posts: 1,538
Joined: Apr 2006
Post: #79
09-05-2016 05:36 PM

Lacb, should we be limited to positive posts on here only? The poster had a bad experience, it happened. Why say they shouldn't post about it. I find this very very weird. It sounds like they had a bad experience, this thread is about local eateries, good or bad. I am able to make my own mind up.

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Growlybear


Posts: 13
Joined: Jan 2008
Post: #80
09-05-2016 09:04 PM

What a bizarre response! I was under the impression that this was a public forum where people could share their opinions, good or bad. The experience we had on Friday went way, way beyond first night teething troubles - it was a complete shambles with incredibly inefficient staff. However although we could have overlooked the dreadful service and ridiculously long wait because it was the first night, when the food finally arrived much of it was disgraceful. If the restaurant management couldn't manage to get such basic things right on their opening night, then They really should have delayed opening until they had found a chef who could cook and had given their waiting staff at least basic training. In the time we were there, we heard only one person saying that they had enjoyed their meal, and Being cramped on a tiny table next to the till, we could hardly avoid hearing what people were saying about their experience. There are so many good local restaurants, but i don't think this is one of them!

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